Travel

The Best places to visit in 2019

Our list of the best places to tour this 2019 features some of the top destinations within East Africa. These places are found in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and the magnificent Rwanda. The Great Trekkers is a travel agency operating in all these countries and enough feedback has been received from previous travelers. Also there are a number of developments within this region including the East Africa tourist visa and east African passport.

Let’s have a look at 2019’s best places to see in East Africa

Bwindi Impenetrable forest

Featured in the world’s best travel magazines and channels – this is one of Africa’s best destinations you’d love to visit. Famously known for the gentle giants – the mountain gorillas have recently increased their numbers and no longer critically endangered. As a result of good conservation efforts by the park authorities, organizations and local people. Bwindi is located in south western Uganda close to the Rwanda border and some kilometers away from Kampala – the capital city of Uganda.

Serengeti

Known as the African paradise – Serengeti national park is one of natural wonders in Africa. It is where visitors get to see the great wildebeest migration and other animals within the Serengeti – Mara ecosystem. Visiting Serengeti national park will reward you with breathtaking physical features from plains to rolling hills, valleys and mountains. Located in northern Tanzania, this is the oldest park in the region bordered by Mara, Simiyu and Arusha. Originating on Serengeti short grass plains of the southeastern Serengeti, the dwindling of the available grass is the impetus for this primal trek. The horizon fills with more than 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 500,000 Thompson’s gazelle, relentlessly tracked by Africa’s great predators.

Mount Kilimanjaro

The magnificent Kilimanjaro Mountain stands tall at 5896 meters making it the tallest free standing mountain in Africa. Climbing the Kilimanjaro is absolutely the highlight for any Tanzania safari experience, with views of Amboseli national park, the rift valley and the Masaai steppe. The name “Kilimanjaro” is a mystery wreathed in clouds, it might mean Mountain of Light, Mountain of Greatness or Mountain of Caravans. Hiking to the ‘rooftop of Africa’ — the highest point on the continent at 5896 meters — is an adventure of a lifetime, especially because, if paced well, everyone from seasoned trekkers to first-time enthusiasts can scale the snowy peak.

Masai Mara

The Masai Mara National Reserve is one of the most popular destinations in Kenya located in the Great Rift Valley – 270km away from Nairobi. This is Kenya’s Jewel of wildlife viewing areas with much of it concentrated on the reserve’s western escarpment. One of the popular things to see here is the annual wildebeest migration which involves over 1.5 million animals arriving in July and departing in November.Masai Mara’s wildlife is more abundant and visitors to this reserve will rarely miss seeing the big five animals i.e. buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino. For bird lovers, there are many opportunities to see most the rare species as 470 have been recorded here.

Zanzibar Island

Zanzibar Island also known as Spice Island is beautiful bursting place located about 25 – 50 kilometers off the Tanzanian coast with many culture and historical sites. The white sand beaches on this island make it a fabulous place to relax and explore the waters. The coastline of Zanzibar has some of the best beaches in the world with white sand and surfs depending on what side of the island you are on. Zanzibar Island is a true African paradise with a number of fishing villages with people living simple lives since the old times. There are over 25 beaches here and some are very peaceful, remote making it a perfect place for a get-away from the city noise.

Volcanoes National Park

One of the best places in the world to enjoy gorilla trekking with 8 ancient volcanoes shared by Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The volcanoes national park is a central location for exploring some distinctly Rwandan experiences including hiking and tracking the golden monkeys.The nearby vibrant markets in Musanze display a fine Rwandan culture you can immerse yourself in or visit the caves with a rich history. Nearly, a third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas live in the Volcanoes national park and you wouldn’t miss the opportunity to include this place on your Rwanda Safari. Other places to see include the Mount Bisoke and the Dian Fossey Grave site.

Kidepo Valley

Known as Africa’s second best wildlife park – located in the north east corner of Uganda, Kidepo is a wilderness area with lots of virgin lands waiting to be discovered. The park contains one of the most exciting faunas of any national park in Uganda with many rare species. The neighboring Karamoja region has traditional nomadic people whose main livelihood is herding livestock. It is an amazing cultural experience to visit the Karamajong Manyattas (homesteads), granaries and cattle enclosures. The vast lands of the Kidepo Valley have remained virtually untouched for decades making the surrounding environment so natural.

buffaloes in Kidepo Valley national park

Jinja

Visiting Jinja comes with a lot of experiences including white water rafting on one of the world’s longest rivers – The Nile. The source of the Nile is also found here and you can take a tour to see where it all starts. Jinja is known as the adventure capital of East Africa since there are a lot of interesting activities to enjoy including tandem Kayaking, bungee jumping, quad biking, horse-back safaris and more.

Rafting on the Nile river in Jinja Uganda

Ngorongoro crater

The world’s largest intact volcanic caldera with the highest density of wildlife also found in Tanzania. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most likely areas in Tanzania to see the endangered Black Rhino. A small population of these species is thriving in this idyllic and protected environment. The jewel in Ngorongoro’s crown is a deep, volcanic crater, the largest un-flooded and unbroken caldera in the world. About 20kms across, 600 meters deep and 300 sq. kms in area, this is such a breathtaking natural wonder every traveler needs to see. The Ngorongoro Crater is sometimes described as an ‘eighth wonder of the world’ and it has attracted an ever-increasing number of visitors each year.

Murchison falls

Uganda’s largest and oldest national park with spectacular wildlife attractions and the famous Murchison falls. The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile which provides many opportunities for fishing, bird watching and Launch trips to base of the falls. Most visitors to Uganda have included Murchison on their itinerary due to its nearby location to the city – Kampala and the many areas of interest.